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Is feeding puppy food really necessary?

So, Maddie is now three months old, I've had her on Fromms Gold puppy food. She's doing well on it. I feed my other dog (I have a 13 year old Toy Poodle, Bailey) Fromms Surf and Turf. Just from looking at the ingredients on the bag, and checking the protein level (the puppy food is actually lower in protein, sort of surprised me since I had always heard puppies need higher protein), and the calcium/phosphorous ratio, they do seem quite similar. It seems to me, that if you feed a high quality food, that feeding a puppy food would not really be necessary?

Does anyone out there have any thoughts on this? I am considering switching Maddie over to Fromms Surf and Turf, gradually, by adding the Surf and Turf in with the Fromm Gold puppy food. Any advice, suggestions, or thoughts?

There are many of us kibble feeders who do not like the idea of puppy food. A good diet is a good diet right? I switched Fletcher onto the Adult style of his brand at 13 weeks. Never have had a problem. I just do not understand the puppy food thing as long as you go with a really high quality kibble.

Switch Maddie and move on.

Melissa
"If you don't own a dog, at least one, there is not necessarily anything wrong with you, but there may be something wrong with your life."
-Roger Caras

Thanks Melissa! That is what I was thinking too, although I wasn't quite sure (I had always fed puppy food for quite a while, but then that was years ago), I value the opinions on here (so many great people on here!). I am going to start including the adult food right along with the puppy food, I have about a half of a bag of the puppy food left.

my breeders puppies (the two she kept) got into the adults food once...they never went back.
cant be that bad.
i kept maggie on it because i always had her with me in the store when buying it, and i once went for a bag of big dog food (sounds so yummier then the puppy food) and they were like 'oh how old is she? she should be on the puppy food..very important' and felt i was breaking some rule if i bought the dog food.

honestly though..i dont think its that big of a deal. when i do it again (wont be any time soon!!! i probably wont worry so much about puppy food)
Just as long as its a healty food im happy

Oliver and Max and Meeko man, i will meet you at the Rainbow bridge. I love you all. Miss you more then you'll ever know.
wait for me...
Chelsea

I think there is a higher fat content in puppy food, but I'm with you guys-- Bosco was on the same food as my chins shortly after we finished the "junk brand puppy food" that he arrived with. A little good kibble mixed with the puppy food to transition and we were good to go. He's was a big eater then and remains a big eater. Just have to watch how much I give him.

So far the transition is going well, I am gradually adding the adult food to Maddie's puppy food, a little a time so we can prevent loose stools. She gobbles all of it down so well, the puppy food as well as the adult food, she is not a picky eater, ha.

I always thought that puppy food had higher fat and higher protein too... but here is a weird kicker, at least with the food I have... the adult food has higher protein and higher fat content.... seems odd to me. So, I am transitioning Maddie from the Fromm's Gold puppy, to the Fromm's grain-free Surf & Turf. Maddie is a big eater too, so I am watching her weight and making sure she doesn't get too fat (I will admit I like sort of a plumpish dog), but not so fat that she doesn't have a "waist", she does have a waist. She is three months old now (14 weeks) and last we weighed her (a couple weeks ago at her vet appt.) she was just under 6 lbs. She is a smaller dog, being half Cavalier (her other half is one-fourth Poodle and one-fourth Yorkie), she is roughly about 7" tall, give or take. I have been feeding her a cup a day, breaking it down into four feedings (I am home all the time, as I am retired).